Cornbread is one of those foods that just seems to go well with
barbecue. Here are a few recipes for moist, flavorful cornbread that
I hope you will enjoy.

Some of these recipes call for self-rising corn meal mix, a mixture of corn meal, flour,
leavening, and salt. I used Martha White Self-Rising Yellow Corn Meal Mix
in these recipes, which I purchased during a visit to Michigan. You'll
have no problem finding such a product if you live in the Midwest or the
South. If you live anywhere else, you'll have to mix your own
using the recipe at the end of this page.

By the way, a cast iron
skillet really makes a difference in the way cornbread turns out, so dig
Grandma's skillet out of the back of the kitchen cabinet for these
recipes.

As always...click on any of the pictures to view a larger image.

Sour Cream Cornbread

This recipe comes from the book
CookWise
by Shirley O. Corriher. Shirley says there are many variations on this Southern
recipe, which uses sour cream, creamed corn and quite a bit of oil to make a
very moist cornbread.

You
can substitute canola or vegetable oil, but I think it makes sense to use
corn oil when making cornbread if you can.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a
large mixing bowl, beat the eggs slightly. Stir in the sour cream, creamed corn,
and oil, then add the corn meal mix, salt, and baking powder. Stir well to
combine the ingredients.

Spray a 10" cast iron
skillet with nonstick cooking spray and pour in the batter. Heat the skillet on
the stovetop over medium-high heat for 1 minute, then place into the upper third
of the oven. Immediately reduce the oven to 375°F and bake 35-40 minutes.

To finish, turn on the broiler
and brown the top of the cornbread for about 1 minute. Don't walk away during
the browning process, as the cornbread can burn quickly. Brush the top with the melted butter and enjoy!

Bacon Cheddar
Cornbread

This recipe uses creamed
corn, milk, and sharp cheddar cheese for moisture, and crumbled bacon for
texture and flavor. It's a cross between several recipes I found on the Martha
White website and the Martha White Yellow Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix
package.

Corn,
canola, or vegetable oil can be substituted for bacon drippings...but why?

Cut the bacon into
3/4" x 3/4" pieces and cook in a skillet over medium heat until
crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels and reserve the drippings for use
in the batter. If you intend to use this same pan for baking the
cornbread, wash it first—the cornbread will stick to the bottom of the
pan if you don't.

Preheat the oven to
425°F. Spray a 10" cast iron skillet with nonstick cooking spray and
sprinkle the bacon evenly in the bottom of the pan.

In a large mixing bowl,
beat the eggs slightly. Add all the ingredients and stir well to combine.
Pour the batter into the skillet, then heat the skillet on the stovetop
over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Place into the upper third of the oven
and immediately reduce the heat to 375°F. Bake for 35-40 minutes until
just slightly brown on top and around the edges.

To finish, turn on the
broiler and brown the top of the cornbread for about 1 minute. Don't walk
away during the browning process, as the cornbread can burn quickly. You can see that mine
started to burn just a bit in the picture above, but it tasted fine.

Brush
the top with melted butter for a glistening finish.

For a Tex-Mex variation
on this recipe, delete the bacon and add 2 Tablespoons chopped jalapeno
peppers and 2 Tablespoons chopped green chiles to the mix. If you don't
want chunks of green stuff in your cornbread but want to add a little
heat, stir a dash of cayenne pepper into the batter.

Blend dry ingredients in a large bowl. Blend milk, oil, and eggs in
another bowl, then add to the dry ingredients. Blend until all is
combined.

Remove hot pans from the oven one at a time and slip a small amount of
Crisco or bacon drippings (about 1/4 teaspoon) into each stick form,
brushing it to cover all surfaces well. Place pans back in the oven for a
few minutes—you want them to be very hot.

Remove hot pan from the
oven, set on a heat-proof surface, and using a Tablespoon from your
silverware drawer, put a generous spoonful of batter into each form. You
should have enough batter for 24 cornsticks and 8 thin crusty wedges.

Bake at 400°F until golden brown on the tops, about 15 minutes for the
sticks and about 20 minutes for the wedges.

To remove cornbread from
the pan, gently ease the tines of a fork under the edges of the cornstick
and carefully pry up. If the pan was preheated and greased well, it should
pop right out.

If you prefer, bake the
whole recipe in a 9-inch cast iron skillet for about 30 minutes and cut
into wedges to serve, or use a 13x9 pan and cut into squares.

Keri does not recommend
baking multiple batches with a single cornstick pan. When the pan cools
between batches, it stands more of a chance of sticking. She suggests
filling a single heated cornstick pan and putting the rest of the batter in
a heated cast iron skillet.

Serve with pinto beans
and fried taters, BBQ, or with just a cold glass of sweet milk.

Honey Butter

All of the cornbread
recipes described above are moist and delicious right out of the skillet.
However, some folks like to use honey butter as a finishing touch on top.
Mix together a 2:1 ratio of softened salted butter and your favorite
honey, for example 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter to 1/4 cup honey. Splurge a
little on a single flower honey for best taste.

Make Your Own Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix

If you can't find self-rising
corn meal mix at your supermarket, just mix up a batch using this recipe from Aunt
Jemima Corn Meal.

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